practical living
Were there any differences between the age groups that you looked at ? Yes , we broke it down between different age sectors . What was interesting was that the younger end , the 65- to 69-year-olds , were almost twice as likely as the over-70s to say that they felt isolated , and identified as lonely . [ This was surprising ] because if you look at the demographics … a good proportion of those people were still working , so they were going out and about , and quite mobile .
When asked to give reasons for why they felt isolated or lonely , among the key reasons [ cited ] was not knowing enough people . They were much less likely to interact with a neighbour .
Neighbours came out in this survey , and in the previous survey , as being really important . Having a good neighbour , and someone you can confide in , who lives very close to you , is very important to your general feeling of connection and wellbeing . I think this [ is important in the ] 65 – 69 bracket , because they ’ re in an age of transition and because they haven ’ t really adjusted yet – it would be my hypothesis – to living more in their community . They haven ’ t spent as much time in their community as those who are older . Maybe they haven ’ t formed those bonds yet , in their immediate community , so they ’ re much more likely to feel isolated or lonely .
I think that ’ s really important for us and councils , and other care providers and stakeholders in the community , to be aware that this age group actually seems to be more vulnerable to feeling isolated and lonely , even [ more ] than the older group .
You said loneliness and social isolation were not going to be resolved without addressing them directly and providing practical solutions , and that Whiddon was doubling its efforts to keep people connected . What will that work involve ? We offer aged-care services across residential aged care , community care and independent living . So a lot of our focus is around keeping people connected to their communities , to the people that matter to them , to interests , to things , to places . That varies from person to person , so we ’ ve developed a number of programs that are focused on that social connection , and can be tailored , and work across all of our aged-care services .
Keeping our clients connected to their community [ is important ], but [ so is ] finding opportunities for them to connect with each other . So developing a community among our own clients and residents [ is also a priority ].
Our creative ageing programs [ are another way to keep people connected ]. We ’ re looking a lot at intergenerational programs where there are reciprocal-type programs where older people can take on a mentoring role , so it ’ s not just about younger people having something to offer in those types of programs . It ’ s also about what older people can give back . We find in other types of research that we do , and it ’ s also well known that , as you get older , the need to contribute , to give back , to participate , to have meaningful activity stays the same . It doesn ’ t matter what age you are . ■
ADVANCE YOUR CAREER IN AGED CARE
CRICOS Code : 00219C | RTO Code : 40939 | P _ AD _ 160455 _ AC1
THE
KNOWLEDGE
TO YOUR
NURTURE
At CQUniversity Australia you can choose to study a variety of contemporary health issues relevant to the aged care sector . No matter where you are in your career , we have options to get you where you want to be , from our VET qualifications including valuable work experience to our postgraduate courses designed to provide you with contextual professional development opportunities .
At CQUniversity we make study all about you with outstanding support services , and on-campus or distance education study options . Benefit from access to more than 20 regional and metropolitan locations across Australia .
Our aged care sector focused courses are offered online , allowing you the flexibility to tailor your study to suit your career and lifestyle . Choose from :
» CHC33015 - Certificate III in Individual Support ( Ageing )
» CHC43015 - Certificate IV in Ageing Support
» CV73 - Graduate Certificate in Dementia Studies
» CV78 - Graduate Diploma of Dementia Studies
» CV75 - Graduate Certificate in Healthy Ageing
» CV80 - Graduate Diploma of Healthy Ageing .
Apply now to study in 2017 . cqu . edu . au / studyagedcare agedcareinsite . com . au 21